New Beginnings
by black-howie
Summary: The Neoborg's finally been permanently released from the Abbey, and they're on their way to Japan, courtesy of Mr. Dickenson. Tala wants Kai back, but the rest of his team doesn't. What's he going to do? Rating- better safe than sorry. TalaxKai
1. I

I'm allliiiivvveee!!! Heh heh... I haven't written anything in a while, and I've just been hit with a _great_ idea! XD  I think so, anyways.  But if you guys don't wanna hear it... er... read it, it's fine be me... I'll just keep it to myself.  I really don't mind.

Shonen-ai... TalaxKai... hehe...

Disclaimer:  Like usual, Beyblade's not mine.  If it were... heh heh... -grins mischieviously-

**Chapter 1**

One by one, four boys slowly exited different rooms into a dark and dingy stone hallway. First came a short navy haired boy dragging a bag as large as himself along the floor. He turned to see his neighbour exit from his room, too. Unlike the first boy, this boy was tall, blonde and well built. Throwing his own bag over his shoulder, he plucked the smaller boy's bag and moved it aside to allow the boy to close his door. A third boy exited from a room beside the blonde's. The grey haired boy flung his bag to the other side of the hallway before closing his door and leaning against the wall. Last to arrive was the red head. Calmly, he exited the room with a bag over his shoulder and glanced at the others.

"Done?" The others nodded. The boys silently walked down the hallway with the red head leading the way, when suddenly the red head stopped. The others looked around, to see what might be the matter. Spotting a open door, they frowned.

The grey haired boy narrowed his eyes at the door before grabbing the sleeve of the red head's jacket and walking, "Let's go, Tala." Tala didn't move.

"Bryan... we... can't just..."

"Yes we can. Let's go," said Bryan, tugging on Tala's sleeve.

"He's right. There's no point in it," said the blond.

"He won't come back, here, Spencer. And his stuff's still here. We could—"

"He's a rich ass. He won't mind losing a few little things," said the navy haired boy, rolling his eyes.

"How do you know, Ian?"

"He's a stuck-up, arrogant traitor. He wouldn't care about anything. Not some little trinkets, not this place for sure, not us," stated Bryan.

"Hn. That's for sure," agreed Spencer, "but if it's really that important to you, Tala..."

"Spencer! Who's side are you on?!" exclaimed Bryan.

"I'm with Spencer," said Ian.

"You too?" exclaimed Bryan.

"Not quite..."

"What are you talking about? You either are or aren't."

Ian smirked, before saying, "Let's raid the place." The others were taken aback, before Bryan and Spencer smirked. "Finders Keepers!" cried Ian before dashing inside the room. The others soon followed.

The room was small and dark. A single bed lay in the corner with dust and cobwebs covering the rough and dull sheets. In the opposite corner, lay a small simple dresser, furnished with a broken mirror. Ian, Spencer and Bryan soon got to work, spreading out into various parts of the room and searching for any hidden treasures. Tala stood in the doorway, watching them for a few moments before joining them. He didn't want to leave empty handed, and he might recover something important. Walking along the walls, he hoped to find something, but with no success.

"Darn it! There's nothing, here!" whined Ian as he came out from under the dusty bed.

"Nothing here, either," said Spencer replacing the mattress on the bed.

"Or here," said Bryan disappointed, as he closed the last drawer on the dresser.

"He's cleaned out everything."

While the others were squabbling, Tala slowly continued his way along the walls, when suddenly something shifted under his foot. Bending down, he removed the rock without much difficulty, revealing a hole lined with wood. He reached down and pulled something out of the hole. It was a notebook with a pencil clipped to it. Flipping through it, he saw the messy writing of a 7 year old and a few drawings. In the dark, he couldn't make sense of the writing. He slipped the notebook into his bag before reaching inside the hole and pulling more items out: a toy of some sort and something soft. Upon inspection, Tala was interrupted by Ian.

"Look! Tala's found something!" Quickly stuffing the items in his bag, he turned around.

"What'd you find?" asked Ian excitedly.

"N...nothing," replied Tala, "just a hole."

"Is there anything in it?" asked Spencer. Bryan made his way to the hole, shoved his hand in and felt around.

"Nothing, surprise, surprise. Wait. I feel something," pulling out his hand, he revealed a necklace in his hand.

"Haha... look, he's into jewellery!" smirked Bryan. The others chuckled.

"What's on it?" asked Spencer.

"Dunno... it's too hard to tell in the dark. Let's go. We've looked everywhere, already." The boys left the room. Tala stopped at the doorway and looked back into the room. Looking around, he sighed before closing the door.

"Kai..."

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Should I continue?  Do you want to know what Tala's found?  Do you care?

Any sort of feedback welcome! Just push that little button down there... nope... that's not a button... that purple one that says "Go".  Yup!  There you go... XD  The more reviews, the more I'll write.  As long as I don't get writer's block.  And I don't get bored with the fic/pairing -coughShowerCurtainscough.-


	2. II

Hi! Sorry I haven't updated lately. I meant to update on Saturday, but my internet was pulled, and when I got it back, was down --;;. Hopefully, updates will be done on a weekly basis… assuming I get internet access

Thanks for all the reviews, everyone!

Star-Serious-Laser: …Someone… seems… high… on… something… made me laugh though . Here's the next chapter like you wanted!

Lady Snowblossom: Well, from what I've written of the fic, so far, you find out all that they found for a few chapters. Hope you can stand the suspense! As for BryanxRei… I dunno… I wasn't planning on making Rei appear at all. I was planning on following Tala around and seeing what he thinks and everything. Sorry to disappoint you.

Toyin: I am, I am! Is it really good? I didn't think so… I seriously don't.

HYPER: Your name sure fits you. :) Like I said before, you won't find out all of what they find for a few chapters. Can you wait that long?

kaiswings: Chapter 2's here, waiting for you!

Leafy2: Yup! I will! I have a few chapters written, already, but it's still kinda rough. And I want to control myself, too, so that I'll update once a week.

shadowcat: Here's the update! Thanks for reviewing!

Ice: Yay! Reviews! I'll be updating for sure! Yay for TalaKai fans! XD

chizu-tabby: You'll just have to wait and see what they found ;).

Bra-Two: TalaKaiTala are my favourite pairing, too! A week's not really soon, but it's better than never, right?

Drago-Kai: Interesting, eh? Hm… well, I don't know if it'll stay that way… I'm trying to figure out a way to keep the 'suspense'.

Alright, now that's done. Time for the second chapter!

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me, no matter how much I wish. You don't know how much time I've been spending, just wishing for it to belong to me. --' (Just kidding )

**Chapter 2**

The boys slowly walked down the hall. Tala's mind littered with curiosity, he got lost in his own thoughts while Bryan was examining the necklace.

"Lemme see! Lemme see! Lemme see!" whined Ian. Spencer rolled his eyes. "You'll see soon enough, Ian. Be patient. You're giving me a headache. And besides, shouldn't you be more excited about leaving this hell hole?"

"Your right!" gasped Ian, "We're gonna be free! Free, free freeeee!"

"You've made it worse, Spencer. Fix it," commanded Bryan, shoving the necklace into his pocket.

"Hey! I'm not an 'it'! I'm a human being! A human being, I say! A human bee—" Ian stopped short as his bag fell onto his head, squishing him.

"Owwie! What'd you do that for? I'm short as it is!"

"I'm not going to carry it for you, anymore," said Spencer. The boys continued walking leaving Ian behind.

"Wait for me!" cried Ian running to catch up with the others, while lugging his bag behind.

The sun was low, as the boys left their nightmares behind. A taxi was waiting for them at the front gate, and they all climbed in. The long ride was unbearable for the three teenagers stuffed into the back while Tala relaxed beside the driver. As the group arrived at the airport, a warm wave of air swept over them. The group looked up into the sky and closed their eyes, so this is what it's like to be free.

Soon, all the boys had boarded onto their plane: Ian beside Spencer, and Bryan with Tala. Throughout the flight, Bryan noticed Tala holding the bag close to him, fingering something inside absentmindedly while staring out the window.

"What are you doing?"

"Huh?" said Tala, snapping back to reality.  
"What are you doing?" repeated Bryan, glancing at Tala's bag.

"Nothing," replied Tala, who resumed looking out the window.

"Liar," said Bryan, glaring at Tala, "what's the matter with you? You've been acting strange ever since we left." Tala didn't answer. "There's something in that bag, isn't there?" Tala stiffened. "There is…" smirked Bryan, "don't tell me you found something in that room and didn't tell us."

"I didn't find anything!" snapped Tala.

"Well that was a fast response. Well, we'll just have to check. Spill it."

"I didn't find anything!" insisted Tala.

"You know? You're one of the worst liars ever," said Bryan reaching over to grab Tala's bag. Tala pulled away.

"Lay off."

"Ah… there's the old Tala back, but too little too late." Tala pinned his bag against the plane wall. "Haha… no where to run, Tala." Tala gripped his bag tighter. Bryan was right. Bryan had the aisle seat, not him. He was cornered.

"Bryan," sang Ian, who had popped his head in to see what the two were doing. "Trying to earn brownie points from our captain, eh? You guys could at least have the decency to do it somewhere private. It's sickening." Ian stuck out his tongue in disgust. Tala breathed a sigh of relief. For once, Tala was glad Ian interrupted.

Bryan snapped back to his seat cursing under his breath with a tinge of red on his cheeks. "What the hell do you want, Ian?" growled Bryan.

"The necklace, of course. I wanna see. You must've had enough time by now to examine it. I wanna see! I wanna see!!"

"I forgot about that." Bryan pulled the necklace from his pocket. Spencer peered over their seats to get a better look. It was a long silver chain encrusted with soil with a broken charm hanging off it.

"Aww… it's crap…" said Ian, disappointed.

"I can't tell what this thing's supposed to be," said Bryan.

"Let me see," commanded Spencer. Bryan handed the necklace to Spencer who sat back in his seat and started to scratch off the dirt. Rubbing it with a wet napkin, a shine was restored in the object. Spencer stood up to show it to the others.

"You still can't tell what it is!" exclaimed Ian, "but I must say, it _is_ quite shiny."

Tala glanced at the necklace. It glowed warmly in the dim light, welcoming him.

'There's something about it… but I just can't put my finger on it…' thought Tala, frowning.

"Shinnyyy…" said Ian, mesmerized by the glint.

"Well, I know I don't want this cruddy thing. Anyone want it for whatever reason?" said Bryan.

"Shiiinn—oh! I'll take—" started Ian.

"I'll have it," said Tala quickly, grabbing the necklace and stuffing it away into his bag. The others looked at him strangely.

"Hey! That was mine!" said Ian.

"Too bad," glared Tala who held his bag protectively before looking out the window.

"What's the matter with you, Tala?" asked Ian, "You used to be able to come up with better come backs than that." Tala continued to look out the window.

"Is something wrong?" enquired Spencer, looking at his captain, concerned. Bryan just glared at his captain's back.

"Tala? What's the—"

"We're here."

"Huh?" answered Bryan, Spencer and Ian simultaneously. Tala nodded at the window. The boys shifted over to look outside. Below, they could see the dark land littered with lights.

"Shinnyyy…" murmured Ian. One by one, the lights started to turn off, leaving the land in complete darkness.

"Eh? What happened to the shiny?" asked Ian.

"The sun's about to rise," answered Tala, shortly, and soon enough, the sky began to lighten from purple to orange. With that, the sun made its grand entrance, blinding the boys.

"Too shiny!!" squealed Ian, looking away and hiding his eyes behind his arm.

Once the boys' eyes grew accustomed to the light, they looked outside again at the pinkish sky.

"It's… so… bright," said Bryan, used to the musty grey walls of the abbey.

"I've never seen anything like it," muttered Spencer.

Tala remained quiet, something warm stirring within himself—a distant memory.

* * *

Heh heh… anyone know Ryu from Gravitation? XD "Shinnyyy…" Tala's gonna seem ooc a lot in this fic. It's not like the show focuses on Tala's non-blading life too much, though. It's really too bad. Same with the others.

Tune in for the chapter 3, next week, where Kai makes his first appearance! A very short appearance, but an appearance none the less! But! That's only if I get reviews. I can have chapters written, but why bother if people get bored with the fic. You must keep me interested, too XD. So, be supportive: click that purple button in the bottom left-hand corner and give me a shout .

Thanks for reading!


	3. III

Chapter 3's here! And with it comes... KAI! XD Tyson and Kenny appear too. But they're minor roles. Don't think I'll be bringing in any bladers weren't part of the Demolition Boys/ Neoborg/ Blitzkrieg Boys at any time into the storyunless absolutely necessary.

Thanks for waiting!

My laziness is starting to kick in, so I've decided to make one general reply to reviews and answer and specific questions you may have. (besides, I kinda get annoyed with long intros)

Yes... Ian likes shiny... just like kawaii Ryu from Gravitation . I'll make references from anime I've watched in this fic. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything... nothing at all!! I'm poor :(

**Chapter 3**

The boys entered the airport with their bags slung over their shoulders.

"Tala! Oi! Over here!" yelled someone.

The boys glanced over, and, much to their dismay, saw Tyson waving them over wildly with Kenny clinging onto his arm trying to get him to stop drawing attention to himself. Tyson ran over to the boys, waving an arm with Kenny flying behind him, too scared to let go.

"Hey, guys! Long time no see, eh? Hahaha! Mr. Dickenson told me that you guys'd be coming today. He wanted me to meet you guys here! Had to wake up extra early! Wouldn't have made it if it weren't for the Chief, over here!" started Tyson, patting Kenny on the back a little too hard. Kenny stumbled forward into Ian.

"Hey! Watch it pipsqueak!" cried Ian, shoving Kenny into Tyson.

"Speak for yourself! You're shorter than he is, and Kenny's my friend. Lay off him, or I'll give you a good beating in a good ol' _beybattle_," said Tyson pulling out his blade to show the others. They boys rolled their eyes.

"Like you could really do that," muttered Bryan.

"What'd you say?!" exclaimed Tyson.

"I said—"

"Where's Mr. Dickenson?" interrupted Tala.

"Hm? Dunno. Kenny?" answered Tyson, forgetting all about the challenge.

"W-well. Mr. Dickenson s-said he was b-b-busy," stuttered Kenny, holding his laptop tightly, "s-so he told us to t-take you guys t-to his office a little l-later today."

"Great. What are we supposed to do, 'til then?" muttered Bryan.

"You guys can come with us back to my dojo!" said Tyson, punching his fist into the air.

"We'd prefer not to," said Tala.

"Eh? Oh… well… um…err," started Tyson, lowering his fist.

"How 'bout you give me the time and address of the meeting and leave us alone?"

"B-but Mr. D told us we should stick together."

"We'll survive without you."

"But you guys don't know your way around the city."

"That's what maps are good for."

"But—" Tyson was interrupted by a loud growl.

"How about we settle this over breakfast?" sweat-dropped Tyson, "I missed breakfast in the rush this morning, heh heh heh." The boys glared at him. Bryan opened his mouth to say something, but Kenny interrupted.

"Oh c-come on, you guys. You d-don't want to d-draw attention to yourselves, r-right? Why don't we g-grab a bite to eat? You guys m-must be hungry after your l-long f-flight from M-Moscow. C-Come on, I'll pay," sang Kenny at the end.

"You will?!" gasped Tyson, hugging Kenny, "Oh, you're the greatest!"

"I'll pay for them, not for you. With the amount you eat, I'll be in debt for the next century." The Neoborg smirked as they watched Tyson's face fall.

"Alright. A bite to eat it is," said Tala calmly before walking to the food court.

Sitting at a large table near the window were the Neoborg, Tyson and Kenny. The Neoborg and Kenny each had a small breakfast in front of them. Tyson, on the other hand, was sadly looking at the average sized bun on his plate. It was all that he could afford. He forgot his wallet at home in the rush to get to the airport.

"Not satisfied with your breakfast, Tyson?" asked Tala smugly.

"Of course I'm fine with it," snapped Tyson, "it's the… the breakfast of champions." The Neoborg chuckled.

"If that's the breakfast of champions, then we must be gods," smirked Bryan. Tyson glared at them before nibbling on his bun, which soon turned to gorging. The others looked away, disgusted, having breadcrumbs fly into their faces. Then everything fell silent. Tyson was sitting quietly chewing on his bread slowly staring at the others' food. The Neoborg smirked before eating as slow as possible, savouring the taste of each bite of their breakfast.

A few hours later, Kenny was busy typing on his laptop, while the Neoborg was still savouring every bite of their first free meal. Each member of the team had barely finished two thirds of his meal. Tyson was on the verge of tears. Every once in a while, he would slowly reach out his hand in attempt to grab any piece of food, only to recoil when the food's owner stabbed at the table with a knife millimetres away from his hand.

Suddenly, an alarm sounded on Kenny's laptop.

"AUGH! We're late!" cried Kenny, standing up and pulling at his hair.

"What are you—" a largeCHOMP interrupted Spencer. Tyson had recoiled into the corner of his seat, while Ian was smiling smugly. Apparently, Tyson was trying to use the distraction to his advantage and tried to get Ian's food. Ian had noticed this and attempted to bite off Tyson's hand. The others looked at Tyson, bored, before turning back to Kenny.

"What _are_ you talking about?" started Spencer, again.

"We're supposed to meet Mr. Dickenson in less than half an hour!"

"What?!" exclaimed Tyson, snapping out of his trance, "come on, guys! Let's go!" and with that, Tyson rushed off. A second later, he returned just as quickly. "Um… hey, guys? You going to eat that?" said Tyson, pointing at the unfinished plates.

They looked at each other, and said, "Go crazy." Tyson rubbed his hands together. He grabbed the nearest plate, opened his mouth wide and poured all the food in, swallowing it whole, with his throat changing shape to accustom the food.

"I wonder where it all goes," commented Spencer.

"Reminds me of a dump truck," continued Ian.

"Or a garbage chute," said Bryan.

"A bottomless pit would work, too," finished Tala.

Tyson ignored all their comments and finished all the meals. He sighed and burped before saying, "come on! We have to go meet Mr. D!"

Soon, the boys were in the Mr. Dickenson's waiting room.

"Hello, boys. Are you here to see Mr. Dickenson?" said the secretary. The boys nodded. "I'll tell him you're here. He's with someone right, now, so you'll have to wait a little while." She motioned to the seats.

"Well, we'll leave you guys here. We've got some training to do!" said Tyson, and with that, Tyson and Kenny left. Sitting down, their attention was drawn to Mr. Dickenson's office. They could hear two muffled voices: one yelling, and one that seemed to be trying to calm the other down. Before long, the voices calmed and stopped, and Mr. Dickenson appeared in the doorway.

"Hello, boys. It's good to see you again! Sorry, I couldn't meet you guys at the airport. I trust that Tyson and Kenny took good care of you."

"Hn," answered the Neoborg.

"Um… well… err…"

"Thanks," said Tala.

"Hm?"

"For helping us."

"Oh, you're very welcome, boys. It's not like I could leave you boys in that dreaded place. Anyways, I am here to inform you about your lodgings in Japan. I was just settling it, as a matter of fact," he said gesturing behind him. "You see, it is difficult to find some place large enough for all of you to stay in, with Japan's large population, and I'm assuming you boys would prefer to stay with one another, no? So I've arranged for you boys to stay with one of your friends!" said Mr. Dickenson, clapping his hands together.

The same thought of horror ran through each of their heads—'Friends? Oh god, don't tell me it's Tyson.'

"Boys, meet your new host!" said Mr. Dickenson, moving from the doorway. The Neoborg's hearts stopped.

Standing in the doorway, was none other than Kai Hiwatari.

* * *

more anime references!I got the "CHOMP" thing from Azumanga Daioh where Sakaki always tries to pet the cat that always bites her hand, and from Bottle Fairy where Hororo was about to bite Kururu's head during lunch. XD So amusing... and so much funnier than I described it to be because when the the kitty/Hororo is about to take a bite, their heads become huge and their teeth become jagged. XD 

Next chapter! The boys go to Kai's grand mansion. And... you find out what's in Tala's bag... dun dun dun...

Reviews required to next update (my way of stalling). I'll update when it reaches my minimum of... err... 30 reviews? Some where around there? Or if I'm feeling nice that day. Either way. I just hope it's the first one. ;)


	4. IV

-sighs- well, didn't exactly reach 30... but it's pretty close... I only said I'd put up a goal so that I could stall my update 'cuz I like to write ahead... and I didn't have too much ahead of that chapter.

I don't know if Ian will try to bite Tyson's hand off again, but I know he won't in this fic. I'm not that keen on Tyson, so I usually bash him a little in my fics :D. I'm not planning to have any characters other than the Neoborg, Kai (obviously) and maybe a few servants here and there. The servants will just be there to serve them, nothing else. So no BryanxRei either. Sorry.

Anyways, here's Kai in all his glory and the rest of them. Tala doesn't really communicate with him all too well, at the moment.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue me.

**Chapter 4**

"We're going to stay with _him?_" exclaimed Ian.

"I believe you boys will get along just fine, considering you boys grew up together. Well, I have another meeting to attend, so I'll let you boys become reacquainted," said Mr. Dickenson before running off hurriedly, not wanting to be in the middle of any dispute.

Kai walked closer to the Neoborg a few feet and stopped.

"Let's get one thing straight. I don't like you; you don't like me. We'll just stay out of each other's way, got it?" snapped Kai.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," glared Bryan.

Kai began to walk out of the room, and the Neoborg followed soon after.

-----------

The boys got into a sleek black limo waiting outside. Their bags stuffed into the back, the boys sat facing one another. Kai sat with his arms crossed and eyes closed, while Tala looked out the window. Bryan sat glaring at Kai while Spencer watched the trees go by. Ian, however, was fascinated by the buttons. Wanting to keep his image, he stared at them, but the lure of the buttons was too strong. He suddenly burst out, surprising everyone, and pushed all the buttons within his stubby arms' reach. Windows started to go up and down wildly, while the lights flickered on and off. Trays and cabinet doors fell open and shut repeatedly and the limo began to swerve. The boys slid along their seats squishing each other into the doors, and Ian even toppled over.

"What do you kids think you're doing back there?!" yelled the driver. Bryan and Spencer held the flailing and crazed Ian back while Kai yelled an apology to the driver. However, when Kai turned back, he couldn't help but smirk.

"What are you smirking at, Kai?" sneered Bryan.

"You guys, of course."

"And why would that be?" Kai smirked even more.

"You're acting just like Tyson and the others when they first got into my limo."

"You're comparing us to those dimwitted friends of yours?!"

"Seems like it."

"Your team is no match for us—"

"First of all, they're not my team. Second, we _did_ beat your team in the championships a few years ago."

"That was a long time ago! It doesn't count! Besides, you screwed us over joining our team all of a sudden—"

"I _won_ all my matches."

"We would've won, but then you betrayed us and went back to that other pitiful team, which screwed over Tala!" Everyone stopped. Bryan had not meant to say that, and was cursing himself under his breath. Kai, on the other hand, was shocked with this newfound information. He glanced at Tala. Tala had shifted uncomfortably while staring outside intently and biting his thumb, ashamed. He didn't want to hear any of it, and most of all, he didn't want to see Kai.

"Tala?" said Kai, softly.

"Don't you dare address our captain, traitor," interjected Spencer.

"You've done enough damage as it is," continued Ian. Kai looked at them for a moment, before glancing out the window. It was silent the rest of the ride.

-----------

The mansion was grand rising up three stories. Windows were neatly ornamented and lined along the walls. Large columns rose from the ground to the roof, framing the large carved wooden doors and the various potted plants on either side of the doors. The boys followed a long pathway lined with colourful flowers to the doors. The Neoborg walked in a silent awe.

Stepping inside the front doors, Kai casually threw his keys to the side and walked in. The others, however, couldn't help but stare at everything around them. A large wood staircase rose from the ground, covered in a deep red rug. The floor was made of a stunning dark wood, and large oriental vases stood in each corner holding up a beautiful arrangement of dried flowers.

"Welcome to your new home," said Kai wearily, "follow me and I'll show you guys to your rooms." The boys were too astonished to make a smart comment, and followed Kai, quietly taking in their new surroundings. Going up the stairs, they walked along various hallways to a slightly narrow hallway. "Choose a room in this hall. It's yours. Bathroom's the 8th door on the right. Dinner's at 6," and with that Kai turned to leave.

"Aren't you going to tell us where we eat?"

Kai rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatedly, "Breakfast and lunch, you can deal with yourself in the kitchen, though if you're really lazy, you can go find someone to make something for you. Dinner's in the dining room."

"And those places would be…"

"What? Can't find your way around your own home?"

"We just got here!"

"Want a map?"

"It'd help."

Kai smirked before walking away, "like I'd make maps of my own house. You actually want my help? I find that hard to believe. Go find everything yourselves. I'm not your baby-sitter."

"That jerk," muttered Ian, "who does he think he is?"

"Well, what ever he thinks he is, you'd better get used to it. We're gonna be staying here for a while," sighed Tala before walking down the hallway. Glancing behind each door, he chose a suitable room for himself, and the others soon followed suit.

-----------

Tala walked into his room. The blood red curtains were drawn to either side of the large window, held up by a fancy gold rope. Red covers and comfortable pillows lay on the soft double bed, with a matching night table beside it. A dresser sat in a corner of the room beside a sizeable closet. A television sat in a corner of the room in front of a love seat, while a desk lay in front of the window. Locking the door behind him, he placed his bag on the bed and looked out the window.

His room overlooked the Japanese garden behind the mansion. Trees and shrubs were delicately trimmed, and rocks were neatly arranged along the banks of the stream. Fish could be seen swimming in the clear water, and a deep green turtle was caught sunbathing on the rock beach. A pebbled walkway wound its way through the garden, with a dark wooden bridge crossing over the stream.

Tala stared at the garden. It was breathtaking. When he tore his eyes away from the sight, he attention was drawn back to his bag. Not bothering to unpack he dug in his bag for the items he found in Kai's room back in the abbey. One by one, he pulled out the articles. First came the necklace chain, followed by the notebook. Placing them gently on his bed, he searched for the last few items. Tala pulled out a worn stuffed dog. In time, its soft brown fur had become rough and torn, yet it smiled gaily at Tala. Tala smiled. Setting it on the bed, he pulled out the last item: a soft white article folded neatly into a square. Unfolding it, he realized it was a knitted scarf.

"He… actually kept it," murmured Tala, grinning.

Tala wrapped it around his neck. Snuggling against the soft yarn, he saw something flutter down to his bed. Looking at his bed, he noticed a piece of paper had fell from the scarf. It was a photo of all of them. Bryan and Spencer were standing in the back smiling without a worry in the world while Ian stood overexcited in the front. Kai and Tala, though, were laughing in the center with their arms around each other's shoulders. Tala chuckled at the memory. On one of their nightly walks, Kai had spotted a poster for a fair. Early the next day, Kai had snuck into his grandfather's office and slipped some money into his pocket. Kai and Tala convinced the others to sneak out with them to go to the fair. First ones in line, the boys had spent the whole day at the fair, getting high on cotton candy and going on rides. All was bliss… that was until they went back to the abbey. They were all punished severely, but they all took their punishments with a smile in their minds. Nothing could take the memories of that trip away from them. Tala looked at the photo contentedly, letting his memories play in his head.

His attention was then turned to something glinting in the sunlight. Looking over, he noticed it was the necklace. Picking up the chain, he looked at it closely. He knew it was familiar. Closing his eyes, he let himself get lost in his thoughts. Moments later, his eyes snapped open. Digging in his pockets, he searched for something. Not finding it, he turned to his bag. Throwing his clothes and various items over his shoulder, he rummaged around his bag, mumbling to himself, "Shirt… pants… toothbrush… another shirt… brush… toothpaste… bingo!"

Laying the necklace out, he fit the item he found into the broken chain. Tala grinned. Sitting on the bed was the complete necklace—charm and all. The silver chain blinked happily at Tala, glad to be in one piece. Shining at the end of the chain was a silver wolf. It stood on all fours, twisting around to face Tala, its tail swishing behind it. Its fur was carved deeply, and its fangs were sharp. Tala was almost too scared to touch it with its stunning authenticity. Sitting on the bed, propped up on his pillows, Tala shifted the necklace to the night table. He picked up the notebook and placed it against his thighs, looking at it curiously. He had never seen it before—or Kai with it. He flipped to the first page before closing the book abruptly.

"I shouldn't be reading it. It's Kai's. I've got no right to. I should just return everything." He glanced at the cover, his curiosity pulling him in. "But… it's so tempting… to find out about the way he thought as a kid…" As a child, Kai was unpredictable. Just when one thought they had him figured out, he surprises them.

He heard a knock on his door.

"What do you want?" snapped Tala.

"It's five. We're going to look for the dining room. Who knows how long it'll take for us to find it. Coming?"

Tala thought for a moment, before saying, "'Kay." Shoving the precious items in his bag, he hid the bag under his bed. Tala opened the door.

"Boy, you sure got comfortable quickly," commented Spencer, seeing various items scattered around Tala's room.

"Yea, it looks like your old room, but worse… and nicer all at once," said Ian, poking his head into the bright room and seeing a large bed. Tala quickly nudged Ian out of his room with his leg.

"Come on, let's go," said Tala, walking down the hallway quickly.

"What's his problem? I was just looking in his room."

Spencer shrugged, "who knows? Let's go, we don't want to lose Tala, and much less starve." The others nodded in agreement before running down the hall to catch up with their captain.

* * *

I've really got nothing to say right now. I'm tired and have lotsa work to do... French grammar confuses me, as do all the accents. But that's just me blabbering, please review. I might stall somewhat for my next update even though I do have the chapter written. Depends if I get time to work on the fic this week. I want to finish this fic before Christmas though. :D 


	5. V

:(... only 2 reviews this chapter... compared to the usual... err.. more reviews... do people not like it? I really don't mind flames ifthe fic'sthat bad.

well, thanks to Werewolf of Fire and shady gurl for reviewing and wanting me to continue. This chapter's for you...

Err... G-revolution spoiler warning. It's just a part of a sentence, but it's a spoiler none the less. It happens in... episode... 36 I think (sad how I can remember this... but I've watched some of the Japanese episodes enough to know what episode number they are), which mainly involves Yuri/Tala and Garland. Anyways:

Disclaimer: Beyblade's got nothing to do with me. Don't own or nothing.

**Chapter 5**

The boys wandered in the endless hallways of the mansion. The boys stopped at an intersection of hallways. Every hallway looked like the next.

"I think we've been here before."

"What are you talking about? We've only been walking in one direction."

"But it looks the same as the one we came to 10 minutes ago."

"Aww crap. There's about 15 minutes left until dinner and we have no idea where we are."

"We haven't even seen a single servant, either."

"Yeah, well, Kai isn't the most social person in the world. Neither is Voltaire." The boys shuddered mentally at the name.

"So much for dinner."

"We should have started looking for the dining room once we got here."

Ian was looking around at the various hallways. He twitched his nose and his eyes lit up. "This way!" he yelled and dashed off in one direction.

"IAN! Don't run off! Come back here! You'll get lost!" Ian didn't heed them and continued running. The others dashed off after him.

Zigzagging down hallways and down a staircase, the boys followed helplessly after their vertically challenged friend, when they turned the corner to see Ian looking up with his eyes closed and twitching his nose.

"Ian!" snapped Tala, "what do you think your doing? Your reckless behaviour will get you more training. We were keeping track of which hallways we went through up there, and now you've all got us confused!" Ian whimpered and slowly raised a shaky hand to point at a door. The others looked up to see a large pair of metal double doors with two round windows at the top. Spencer peeked it and his eyes widened.

"It's the kitchen."

"If that's the kitchen, that means that the dining room can't be too far away." The boys glanced at Ian.

"How'd you figure out where the kitchen was?"

"I followed my nose!" exclaimed Ian. The others raised their eyebrows before smirking.

"Your nose is actually good for something," commented Bryan.

"Now we know it doesn't just impair your vision," said Spencer, tapping Ian on the nose, and causing it to go up and down like a springboard.

"Hey! Watch it! My nose is very sensitive," said Ian haughtily and stopping his nose from bouncing. The boys chuckled when a man suddenly came out from the kitchen. The boys stopped abruptly.

The man was surprised to find a bunch of boys outside the kitchen and almost dropped the food he was carrying. The boys glared at him and he cringed.

"E-excuse me," mumbled the man and hurried off.

The boys followed him quietly. The man was sure to be heading off to the dining room with all that food. Food… the thought of it made the boys' stomachs growl. They never did finish their breakfast that morning.

The man disappeared behind a large set of wooden double doors. The boys opened the door cautiously. It was a narrow room with a large window at the far end. A long table sat in the centre of the room with over a dozen chairs surrounding it.

"You guys made it."

In the chair nearest the window was Kai calmly eating his dinner.

"Of course we did," snapped Bryan.

"Hn," came the reply, as the boy smirked and returned to his dinner. Bryan glared. Tala, Bryan, Spencer and Ian took a seat at the end closest to the door. The servant they had met earlier brought placed plates covered by a metal lid in front of each boy. Slowly removing the lid from each guest's dinner, he revealed a large juicy steak with a steaming baked potato beside it. Colourful vegetables decorated the sides of the dish. The boys' eyes widened, in surprise. They had never seen a meal like this. They sat there dumbly staring at their dinner as the servant left the room.

Bryan was the first to snap out of his trance. "What? No appetizer? No soup?"

"You missed 'em," said Kai bluntly.

"Isn't this meal kind of… American?" asked Spencer.

"Got a problem with it? No one said you have to eat it." Ian's stomach growled loudly. "Well," continued Kai, "except maybe your stomach." Ian glared. "But if you insist it's too American for you, I can get rid of it for you." Kai stood up and the boys quickly brought their arms up to protect their food.

"It's fine," said Tala, and began eating. The others followed suit.

Kai sat back down and watched them. "Those are the first words I've heard from you all day, Tala." Tala stiffened.

"Watch it," said Bryan coldly.

"I didn't do anything," said Kai innocently.

"You addressed our captain," said Spencer.

"Make sure you don't or else you'll get it," said Ian through a mouthful of potato.

Kai smirked, "You don't look too threatening to me, I mean, you look and act like Tyson." Ian swallowed his potato and stood up on his chair.

"You want a piece of me?"

"I don't know. Is there even a piece of you, there?"

"Why you—"

"Enough," said Tala. All eyes turned to him. Tala looked up from his dinner and glanced up at his team. "I can handle Kai myself."

"But, Tala—"

"I am the captain of our team. You are to follow my orders. I don't need you guys to watch out for me. I can handle things myself."

"Like a big kid," murmured Kai.

Tala's sharp ears heard it and he turned to Kai. "Are you calling me a little kid?"

"Not at all. I just said you were like a big kid."

"But you said it mockingly!"

"So what?"

"I am _not_ a little kid. I'm a teenager. A teenager that's older than you, at that."

"So what? Only by a few months. But you know, you sure are acting like a little kid. You depend on others to cover for you and you bicker with them, just like you did when we were younger."

A flood of memories flashed through Tala's head, but Tala shook them out immediately and stood up.

"I am not depending on them. They just do it themselves. That's because we care and lookout for each other. You used to do that, but not anymore. I'm even surprised you have friends. How can those 'friends' of yours even stand you? You must piss them off like there's no tomorrow. If I were one of them, I'd ditch you. Who would really want to be around you? But, I figure they're getting the idea. No wonder Max is in America and Ray's in China. Tyson's probably only staying here for the sake of his crazy grandpa, and Kenny's here to hide behind Tyson. What kind of friend are you if you keep yourself locked up in your maze of a mansion. Riches won't get you friends, you know. Even if they did, they wouldn't really care about you. They'd just take your money and leave you out in the cold," blurted Tala. He narrowed his eyes at Kai, and finished, "You don't deserve any friends."

Kai lowered his eyes and looked away. It was silent for a few moments. The Neoborg were shocked at their captain; of all the things they expected of their captain, this was not one of them. Kai, on the other hand, stood up and walked to the door to bump into a servant.

"Master Kai!" stuttered the servant, "where are you going? You haven't finished your dinner, yet, and you still have desert. It's your favourite, today—"

"I'm not hungry," muttered Kai and left the room. The servant turned to look at the other boys and frowned, before leaving.

Tala watched Kai leave. From much experience with Kai as children, he noticed a slight pain in Kai's voice. It was rarely heard, even after being tortured and yelled at. Had he really hurt Kai that much?

* * *

Waaah… poor Kai...

I'm not very good at insults. I hope those "insults" weren't too bad, though they did come out better than I though.

Anyways, keep sending those reviews in! I might update twice a week or more during my winter holidays. :) I think this fic'll turn out longer than I thought, so I hope to finish it before new years.


	6. VI

yay! :3 reviews! my response: yes yes... Tala will make up... ish... this chapter. And to ice... haha... a lemon? I wish. I can't write lemons at all . I'd have one if someone wrote one for me :D. The only person who I know personally writes REALLY good lemons... but she hates/dislikes Beyblade, so I doubt it. Volunteers?

Okay.. well, this is a short chapter. But I swear, they'll become longer. I had a crap load of exams/tests/quizzes this week, and... well... that's my excuse. Now for chapter 6!

Disclaimer: I'm lazy. Go read the ones from before, if you really want to read one.

**Chapter 6**

Tala couldn't help it, but stare at the door. Guilt stirred inside him. Did he do the right thing?

"Don't worry about that bastard. He deserved what he got," said Spencer, noticing his captain's turmoil.

"You did the right thing," confirmed Ian.

"And everything you said was true," finished Bryan.

Tala sat back down and looked at his food. The others continued eating. Rolling some peas around his plate, Tala rose, drawing his teammates' attention. "I'm not hungry," muttered Tala before slipping out of the room. The others frowned. They needed to do something about their redheaded friend.

-----------

Tala wandered the hallways, lost in his thoughts. "If what I was right… if everything was true… then… why do I feel so bad?"

He stopped abruptly as he neared the door at the end of the hallway. Figuring he's lost anyways, he opens the door.

A cool gust of autumn air rushed in, ruffling his hair. He closed his eyes letting the air wash over him, and sighed. He inhaled the scent of the calm trees and late flowers. Opening his eyes again, he recognized the garden he saw from his room. Tala grinned and stepped outside. Maybe some fresh air will help clear his thoughts.

Calmly following the paths of the garden, his mind got lost in his new surroundings. The last birds of autumn chirped to one another and the few fish left in the calm water swam peacefully. Tala sat on the large flat rocks surrounding the water and watched the fish swish their tails. He pulled his legs close to his chest and hugged them, laying his head on his knees.

"Did I do the right thing? Did I really? It wasn't all true… I mean… I want to be around him. Even after what he did. Hah. I really am crazy. Why would I want to be by him if he betrayed us so many times?" A pang rang through his chest, but Tala ignored it. Instead, he closed his eyes and thought of all the experiences he shared with his friends. A warm shiver ran down his back. Tala tightened his grip and soon fell asleep.

Taking its last worried glance at Tala, the sun disappeared from the horizon. A cool breeze blew past Tala, shaking Tala from his slumber. Opening his eyes groggily, Tala realized he was still outside. Deciding to go inside to sleep, he stood up and walked towards the mansion. Walking without a sound, he noticed a slight movement by a tree and stopped. Tala narrowed his eyes: was someone following him? Tala strode quietly and casually to the tree and lent against the trunk. He sharp eyes didn't find anything in the dark. Maybe the movement was in his imagination. Maybe he was more tired than he thought. Shaking his head, he turned his head for one more look at the starry sky, when something caught his eye.

"Kai!"

Something jumped in the branches of the tree. A face looked down at Tala, glared, and looked away.

Tala bit his lip. The pain he felt before grew at the glare. Tala looked at the ground. He needed to say something, but he didn't know what. He bit his lip harder, drawing blood, and could only think of one thing to say.

"Sorry… I really didn't mean it. Before… at dinner." Tala waited, in hope of an answer. None came, so he continued. "I… I don't know what came over me. It just came out. I wasn't thinking. I really didn't mean it. Please believe me. Kai… I don't want you mad at me—"

"You don't want me to be mad at you? Is this what the great Tala has become? Some softy that hates people who are mad at him?" Tala stiffened and narrowed his eyes. This was not where he wanted to go, and he started again.

"Kai, please, don't take it that way."

"I can take it any way I please."

"Kai, I really didn't mean it. It was a spur of the moment. None of it was true! Please believe me. Kai…"

No answer came from the branches above him. Tala looked down disappointedly. Standing up, he headed back to the mansion.

"You have no idea how true it all is," whispered Kai, just loud enough for Tala to hear. Tala turned around. "It's all true," said Kai, "no one cares. They all run from me. No one cares. My family and my friends... hn… what friends? I haven't heard from them since the last tournament. They're really only my 'friends' when they need my help. My help training them. That's the only time they care about me. Otherwise I'm nothing. And you guys hate me for deserting you guys so many times: after the destroying half the abbey with Black Dranzer, after the World Championship, and when I went to BEGA after Garland injured all of you. I'm a great person, aren't I?" Kai grinned slightly, chuckling to himself. After a pause, Kai continued quietly, "I should be the one apologizing, Tala. Not you. You only told the truth."

Kai jumped down from the tree. As he passed Tala, Tala heard him murmur, "I'm sorry."

Tala swivelled around. "Kai!" but Kai had already disappeared.

* * *

:O... :O...Kai :( .

Next chapter's happier... I'll see how often I can update. I borrowed a new anime to watch so I might not update more than once this coming week, sorry. Review and I might change my mind. XD


	7. VII

Merry Christmas (or happy winter holidays, if you don't celebrate christmas) mina-san! Sleeping in... no school... no work... XD. Well, for all you reviewers, this chappie's for you. This chapter is a little longer... ish. -sigh- Well... I had this chapter written last week and I was too lazy to make it longer.

Err... Spencer/Bryan? Haven't heard of that pairing, Werewolf of Fire... dunno if I'll put it in though. I highly doubt it... gomen. -sweatdrops-

Disclaimer: Don't own, etcetera etcerta etcetera.

**Chapter 7**

Tala groaned and turned over as a streak of light struck his closed eyes. He tried to go back to sleep, but to no avail. Sighing, he sat up in his bed and noted the soft bed. He opened his eyes to the bright walls of his room. Shocked at first, he closed his eyes.

"Oh yea… I'm here." Tala thought about what happened the day before: the trip, Tyson, dinner… his heart tightened.

"Kai…"

Tala closed his eyes slightly, thinking about their conversation. "What was I supposed to say? Even if Kai was there when I turned around, I wouldn't know what to do."

Tala turned to the clock on his table. It was 11:30.

"Crap! I slept in! Boris will be so—wait a minute. There's no more Boris." Tala grinned and flopped back onto his bed. His stomach grumbled.

"Just wait. I wanna stay in bed a little longer," thought Tala happily as he snuggled into his fluffy pillow. His stomach growled again, and Tala sighed in defeat. Grabbing a shirt off his lamp, Tala headed off to the kitchen.

-----------

Walking into the kitchen, Tala's eyes were met with the silver glare from all the metal appliances. It was a large kitchen; each area separated according to the preparation of different food groups. Everything was sparkling clean and not a soul was in sight. Tala wandered in between the counters looking for the fridge; his stomach growling louder and louder by the moment.

"Shut up, would you? You're making so much noise that I can't keep track of where I've been!" hissed Tala to his stomach. His stomach stopped immediately.

"Stupid Kai. Just _has _to make everything a maze," grumbled Tala.

Tala found a row of what looked like large metal fridges. Nearing one, he opened the door and his mouth dropped. Inside was the most food he had ever seen. Moving from fridge to fridge, his eyes got larger and larger. His mouth watered at the sight.

"What are you gawking at?"

Tala turned sharply to see Spencer and Ian. Ian jogged to Tala and looked into the fridges.

"FOOD!" exclaimed Ian.

Minutes later, the boys sat on stools around a tall metal counter with plates of food in front of them and a tall glass of milk. While Spencer and Tala were calmly eating, Ian was shovelling everything into his mouth.

"I wish I could eat some meat with all these veggies. We seem like health freaks, right now," said Tala eyeing the pile of vegetables on his plate and pushing them around with his fork.

"Can you cook?" asked Spencer.

"Nope," answered Tala, sighing. He may have learned many skills in the abbey, but cooking wasn't one of them.

"Mmrph! Lemph—"

"We are _not_ letting you get close to a stove or oven, Ian," stressed Spencer. Ian pouted.

"Find some food?" came a voice. They turned. It was Bryan. Bryan had grabbed a stool and pulled it towards the others. At the sight of the vegetables, Bryan grimaced.

"So what are we, now? Cows?" asked Bryan, "Pigs?" he added at the sight of Ian. Ian swallowed and gave a cheesy smile. Bryan rolled his eyes.

"By any chance, can you cook?"

"Cook? Ha. You're kidding me, right? Why don't you just eat it raw?"

"Vegetables, ok. Bread… I think all breads are made fresh, here, so there's no bread. Milk stuff, sure, I guess, but I'm not too keen on eating butter by itself. As for meat, you should know better than to eat meat raw," said Spencer.

"Not quite. You can eat fish raw. It's called sushi. It's really good," said Tala, absentmindedly.

"Sushi? When did you try that?"

"Hm? Oh… I don't know. It was years ago. But I remember it like it was yesterday," said Tala looking up at the ceiling and smiling. "I remember sneaking out of the abbey into a sushi bar. The sushi disgusted me at first when I found out what it was, but it turned out to be really good after Kai shoved it down my throat…" Tala's mind drifted back to the events of the night before.

As the others frowned, a pleasant aroma wafted towards them.

"Mmm… what's that?" mumbled Ian as he closed his eyes dreamily. He rose up into the air and floated towards the source of the smell.

"It… it smells like pasta… mmm… tomato sauce…" murmured Ian. The others' mouths couldn't help but water, and they followed Ian on foot.

Ian drifted around a corner and the next thing the others heard was their short friend crying out. The others rushed to their friend.

Ian sat on the ground, whimpering and nursing his red nose with tears collecting in the corners of his eyes.

"Ian! What happened? Are you alright?"

"Hmph. Serves him right," came a voice. The others looked up into crimson eyes.

"Kai! What did you do to Ian?" snapped Spencer.

"I didn't do anything. It wasn't my fault your buddy floated into the side of a hot metal pot and hit the counter with his head on his way down to earth."

The others looked at their whimpering friend. "Ian? Is this true?" asked Tala. Ian blushed deeply and looked at the ground before nodding his head slightly. Spencer, Bryan and Tala couldn't help but smirk. That was until something hard hit the floor. The boys glanced over at a pack of ice and looked up at Kai.

"For his head," Kai said simply. Ian took the ice pack slowly and placed it on the swelling bump on his forehead. The boys stayed in silence for a moment. Kai glanced at them. "Hungry?" The others didn't reply. Kai was the last person they wanted to ask for help.

"Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?" asked Bryan suspiciously.

Kai answered, "I am responsible for you whether you like it or not. It's not like I volunteered for this job, anyways."

"Or is it because of what Tala said, last night, and this is your lame attempt at making friends with us? Well, you know what? You've betrayed us too many times. Being friends with you would be pointless. You're just going to desert us again. You always do."

Kai prepared his pasta, calmly, listening to Bryan. "Whatever you think," replied Kai quietly. Kai motioned to the pots, and said, "knock yourselves out," before leaving the kitchen.

"Really?" exclaimed Ian. Ian dropped the ice pack and dived for the pot.

"Ian! Watch out! It's still hot!" yelled Tala. Ian realized this and waved his arms backwards, wildly, in attempt to stop himself, but to no avail. Ian fell smack into the side of a large pot. His skin became beet red and his eyes wide as he slowly peeled off the pot like a piece of paper onto the floor. The others couldn't help chuckle before placing their friend to a sink full of cool water. Steam rushed forth from the sink, and Ian could be heard sighing.

"This feels nice…" The others grinned.

That lunch, they ate their lunch surrounding the sink. Bryan, Spencer and Tala sat on stools, and Ian sat in the sink, still bright red from the heat. They sat, eating and laughing at memories of the stupidity of Boris and Ian.

When Ian climbed out of the sink to make room for the dishes, Tala thought back to their meal. Kai had prepared it. He had prepared it for them. He knew they wouldn't have too much success with a proper lunch, and prepared lunch for them.

'Maybe Kai hasn't really changed too much from when we were kids. He must still care for us to some point to have made lunch for us. He could have had us live on vegetables for the rest of our lives. It's not like he's depending on us for anything. He may show it differently, but he cares—he must.'

Tala watched as the small scraps of food spin into the darkness.

* * *

I swear. The next chapter is longer. And it will be up _really_ soon. _Really **really **_soon. -hinthint-. Review please :D. 


	8. VIII

Happy Holidays! This chapter will serve as my Christmas present to all you guys. It's not exactly late, according to my time zone :D. Go me! XD

To the reviews I did receive, though… (not very many considering this chapter's up hours after I uploaded the other one… what? I had to finish it! And I tried to make it longer. And it is long_er_. I did write "-hinthint-" in my note at the very bottom.) You guys really like Ian, huh? Heh heh… don't know if I'll be making him do anything stupid/funny anymore, though.

Since this was done kinda hurriedly (distracted by various anime I have lying around on my desk that I haven't watched), there might be more mistakes than usual.

Disclaimer: Merry Christmas! Err… um… no. I don't own anything. –sweatdrops–

**Chapter 8**

Time passed quickly as the Neoborg busied themselves learning the ways around their home, playing games like Hide and Seek and tag. Days trickled by quickly, and soon enough, Christmas was upon them.

The boys gathered around the warm fire with their mugs of hot chocolate. They had just come in from a vicious and cold snowball fight, and a blizzard had started up before anyone could be announced the victor.

"I'm bored," complained Ian.

"We're completely aware of that. You've been saying that once every five minutes since we came in," said Spencer.

"Let's play hide and seek!" exclaimed Ian, excitedly.

"Again? But we've been playing that everyday for the past couple weeks!"

"So what? It's fun! Come on. It can be your guys' Christmas present for me, this year!"

The others raised their eyebrows.

"Ian… you know—"

"How 'bout we play a different game for your present?" said Tala. Bryan and Spencer looked at their leader, confused.

"Oh goody! Another game! What game? What game?" asked Ian.

"How about… pin the tail on the donkey?"

"Huh? But we don't have a donkey."

Bryan and Spencer grinned maliciously. "Sure we do…." Bryan and Spencer stood up, towering over Ian with the fire lighting their faces in a menacing way. "You can be the donkey…"

Ian's eye twitched. "Um… guys… you really don't have to… forget what I said. Come on, you guys—ahhh!" Bryan and Spencer pinned Ian to the floor. "Tala! Come on! Help me out, here!"

Tala smirked. "You said you wanted a present, so here it is."

"But not this!"

"You should know better than to ask us for presents."

"I'll go get the costume and blindfold," said Tala, running out of the room.

-----------

"Now where did I put it?" muttered Tala. Every year, Bryan, Spencer and Tala liked to play pin the tail on Ian. They would dress Ian up in a costume they found and tie him to the wall. They would play for hours upon hours, slapping the tail onto Ian's rear end and laughing endlessly.

Tala looked in his dresser, in his closet and between the cushions of the couch, but it was no where to be found. Getting down on his hands and knees, he crawled around the floor, looking under his dresser and chairs. When he finally looked under the bed, he found his bag.

"Bingo!" Tala pulled out the small brown costume with the various "tails" stuffed in the pocket. Looking for a blind fold, he pulled out a long white scarf.

"Eh? Oh, I forgot about this." Tala smiled and buried his face into the scarf. Pulling out the various items he found that last day at the abbey, he looked them over carefully. He gazed at the photo again, his attention focused on Kai, and smiled sadly.

"Kai, I want to see you smile again. Like you used to." His finger grazed over Kai's image. "Just for me," whispered Tala. Tala leaned back against his bed and watched the snow float to the ground.

'What could I do for him to do that, though?' Tala glanced at the scarf. 'Maybe I could give his stuff back. A present… for Christmas.'

With that, Tala piled up the notebook, half the necklace, the stuffed dog, and the photo and wrapped it with the scarf, before disappearing down the hall.

-----------

Tala came to the door of the library. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door. No answer. Nudging the door open, he saw a bright fire crackling in the room, surrounded by leather chairs. In one of the chairs, was Kai. Tala hid the present behind his back and cleared his throat. Kai's eyes shifted towards him, before drifting back to a book. Tala slipped in and stood in silence a few feet away from Kai.

"Sit and read or leave." Tala didn't move. "You need a hand?" Tala didn't answer. Kai put down his book and got up. "A good kick in the ass should do the trick," he muttered as he neared Tala.

"It's Christmas."

Kai stopped. "So?"

"Um…"

Kai raised an eyebrow. "Do you have anything worth saying?"

"Err…"

Kai narrowed his eyes and made for Tala. Tala bit his lip before bringing out the present from behind him. Kai stopped, surprised.

"M… merry Christmas, Kai," mumbled Tala. When Kai didn't take it, Tala said a little louder, "It's a present. For you." He pushed the present into Kai's hands. Kai stared at it, stupefied. "Well? What are you waiting for? Open it."

Kai paused, before whispering, "why?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"'cause it's Christmas." Kai narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Tala.

"You're not supposed to give out Christmas presents. We never did when we were little, because none of us could afford anything. I remember you saying spending time with friends would suffice. It was a rule. No presents. At least… no material things."

"Then don't think of it as a present. Just me… returning things to you."

"Returning?"

Tala nodded. "Open."

Kai unravelled the scarf. His eyes widened in surprise. "Where did you find all of this?"

"In your room. Right before we left."

Kai turned around and sat on the couch examining everything carefully. Tala sat down beside him. Kai picked up the dog. He put it in his lap and stroked its fur gently. Kai was about to hug it when he glanced at Tala. Tala looked away abruptly, letting his eyes wander over the countless number of books on the shelves. When he returned his gaze to Kai, Kai was examining the scarf.

"You gave me this, didn't you?"

"Mhm. You used to always complain about the snow and how cold it was whenever we went out. I remember I used up almost all my savings to get you that so you'd shut up. After that, we went out a lot more. I can't believe you got a replacement scarf. You bastard, I thought you lost that one or ruined it, and thought I wouldn't notice you and the new scarf."

"I… I didn't want to ruin it," mumbled Kai, clutching the scarf tightly.

Kai picked up the notebook and flipped through it quickly. Kai glanced at Tala.

"Oh. Don't worry. I didn't read your diary."

"It's _not_ a diary," growled Kai, "it's a journal."

Tala chuckled, "right right. If that makes you feel any better."

"Hn." Kai glanced at the photo. He bit his lip and looked away before slipping it into his journal. Tala glanced at Kai worriedly. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Finally, Kai picked up the chain, which flowed between his fingers. He looked at it confused.

"Maybe this'll help." Tala pulled out the charm and fitted it onto the chain in Kai's lap. Kai gasped slightly. Tala saw Kai bite his lip. "Remember?" Kai picked it up, the wolf glimmering in the firelight. Kai looked sadly at it, before dropping both parts into Tala's hands.

"Kai?" Tala looked at Kai, confusion evident in his eyes.

"It's yours."

"Yeah… but I gave you the chain. The chain's yours. Don't you remember what it means?" Kai didn't answer. Tala's eyes narrowed. "It means we're friends, Kai. Friends. Doesn't that mean anything to you? Anything at all?" Kai didn't answer.

Tala gritted his teeth. "Kai! Answer me! Doesn't it mean anything to you? Don't _I_ mean anything to you?!" Tala took hold of Kai's shoulders and twisted him around. "Answer me!" Kai's hair shaded his eyes. "Kai!"

"You do. All of you do. But me… I… I don't have any friends." Tala was taken aback. "I don't deserve any." Kai stood up and his scarf slipped to the floor.

"Kai! Stop thinking that way!" yelled Tala.

"Why? No one cares—"

"I care!" Kai's heart seemed to stop. "Kai…I care about you. After all these years, I've been waiting; waiting for you to come back. I don't care what others think. I can't forget all the great times we spent together. I don't have any right to hate you. I want things to be the way they used to be, Kai: to have fun, to relax, not to have a worry in the world, for us to be friends, again—best friends. Can't we go to the way things were before?" Tala paused, before continuing, "It hurts me to see you like this."

Tala watched Kai in silence, when a thought dawned on him. "Kai… you… you don't really want to lose everything we had, do you? As if… it were nothing?" Tala watched Kai anxiously.

"No."

A great weight lifted off Tala's heart. "Then… then things can go back to the way they were. We both want it that way. Like the good ol' days—"

"But they can't be. Things have changed. They've changed a lot, Tala."

"Maybe, but they've changed for the better! Our lives will be better than they were before!"

"Better, huh?" Kai glanced at the fire, crackling happily in the fireplace. "Tala, do you… do you really want me back?"

"Of course I do! I mean… I've missed all the times we had together, the laughs we shared, the pranks we pulled… I…I've missed you, Kai."

Kai whispered, "I've missed you, too." Kai turned around and wrapped his arms around Tala, tears brimming in his eyes. "I've missed you a lot." Tala hugged Kai back gently.

"You know what?" murmured Kai.

"Hm?"

"This is the best Christmas I've ever had." Tala pulled back. On what seemed to be a face that never seemed to be content, Kai was wearing a genuine smile. Tala smiled back.

"Me too."

The blizzard had calmed to a quiet snowfall, that afternoon: a warm and beautiful snow. It swirled around in the sky, covering the land in a white and cozy blanket. It decorated the tree branches with its white crystals. As the clouds drifted apart that night, a large moon rose from the horizon, and the crystals glimmered in the moonlight.

* * *

-starts singing- I'm dreaming of a white Christmas. Just like the ones I used to know; where the treetops glisten and children listen to hear… sleigh bells in the snow… 

Alright, that's the enough of that. It was my final thought while writing that last part. I was going to keep on writing, but what I was going to put would ruin the mood.

-sigh- I'm losing my touch. It didn't nearly come out as well as I planned. Dunno how to change it, though.

Anyways, happy holidays! Here's a little something I made for all you Beyblade fans: (the link's at the bottom of my bio/profile)  
I hope you like it. :) I know I know… no TalaKai… it's not like Kai's extremely happy there… and it's funnier to have Tala with the snowman rather than, say, Ray/Rei.

Review please!


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